San Jose lawmakers unanimously approved new restrictions on mobile food vendors at crowded public events on Tuesday in light of a new state law, but many expressed concern about proper enforcement mechanisms over non-permitted vendors. All vendors must now stay 500 feet away from popular public events in San Jose. For years, sidewalk peddlers weren’t allowed...

Fighting a lawsuit from a group of prominent San Jose retirees who say the city started shortchanging their pensions five years ago could cost San Jose taxpayers $1.4 million — and those costs could keep rising. The San Jose City Council voted in September to spend up to $1.4 million on an existing contract with law...

Months after a poll sponsored by a business group revealed that San Jose voters favored switching to a strong mayor government, a new poll sponsored by a labor organization is suggesting the opposite. The poll, obtained by San José Spotlight, was conducted by EMC Research and found that at least 56 percent of respondents were not interested in...

Increasingly, more families and communities of color in San Jose are struggling to stay in their homes and keep their businesses. As the city prospers amid an economic boom, vulnerable residents in low-income neighborhoods affected by a spike in development and increasing cost of living expenses are subject to higher rates of displacement in the...

A drawn-out, months long battle over racial representation on San Jose’s Planning Commission came to an end Tuesday after two new appointees were chosen by the City Council, following hours of intense debate from both sides of the political aisle. After a lengthy interview process, Rolando Bonilla and Mariel Caballero were appointed to one of...

In the aftermath of 9/11, Silicon Valley’s airport became the first in the country to pioneer a therapy animal program to ease passengers’ fears and anxieties before boarding flights. Now, 18 years later, the program is still going strong, and the animals are bringing joy to airport-goers of all ages. Adam Albert, a volunteer since 2015, brought Johnny, his...

Amid the region’s housing crunch and an increasing homeless population, San Jose is searching for solutions to temper the ongoing crisis, as more families and communities of color are subject to displacement. In response, the City Council on Tuesday will discuss anti-displacement strategies to curb the adverse effects of Silicon Valley’s economic boom. “The City Council’s study...

For months, a long-winded battle over the appointment of a new commissioner to San Jose’s Planning Commission has had the city’s East Side community up in arms, as they demand the city’s leadership for equal representation on the powerful committee that makes important planning and land use decisions. Days before the City Council is set...

At the forefront of Tuesday’s San Jose City Council meeting, lawmakers discussed how the two interwoven crises plaguing the region — housing and homelessness — are alarmingly growing worse. In response, the councilmembers passed a smorgasbord of housing measures, which include expediting the study of a commercial linkage fee and extending a contentious tax break...

The San Jose City Council is set to hear several big ticket items on Tuesday, including a proposal to extend a tax break for high-rise developments in downtown and updates on the city’s homelessness and housing crises. Lawmakers will hear an annual update on the city’s ongoing homelessness crisis, and a proposal led by Councilmember...